Fantastic Four 300
"Dearly Beloved..." is the the three-hundredth issue of the first volume of the American comic book series Fantastic Four. It was written by Roger Stern and illustrated by John Buscema and Sal Buscema, who also provided the cover artwork and inks. It was colored by Glynis Oliver and lettered by John Workman. The issue shipped to retailers with a March, 1987 cover date. Synopsis Johnny Storm goes to the Daily Bugle to argue with Robbie Robertson over the fact that the Bugle ran a press announcement detailing the events of his wedding. Elsewhere, the Thing is mulling over the fact that his best pal is marrying ex-girlfriend. To make matters worse, the Yancy Street Gang decide to take advantage of the Thing's glum demeanor and taunt him with piles of garbage. Ben crunches up a nearby abandoned car and throws it towards them forcing the gang to scatter. Later, Sue, Alicia and the She-Hulk work on Alicia's wedding dress. Crowds of reporters try to sneak a peak at the popular bride-to-be, but Sue keeps them at bay by turning the bridal party invisible. Meanwhile, the Puppet Master teams up with the Mad Thinker and the Wizard to try and sabotage the wedding. The Puppet Master cannot believe that his beloved daughter has broken up with one member of the Fantastic Four only to marry another. He crafts a voodoo doll of Franklin Richards and uses it force the real Franklin to spy on his family, thus learning where the wedding is being held. At the ceremony, the priest begins officiating the wedding and Johnny and Alicia exchange their vowels. The Puppet Master is hidden away in another section of the church. He intends on taking control of the Thing and using him to crush Johnny's skull after everything concludes. But then, he notices how happy Alicia looks with her new husband, and realizes that he could never do anything to upset her. He decides to betray the Wizard and the Mad Thinker. The Puppet Master summons the Dragon Man and has it attack the Wizard and the Thinker at the Thinker’s secret compound. The Thinker summons an army of his androids, but the Dragon Man easily smashes through them. During the fight, the Dragon Man punches the Wizard and sends him barreling into the Mad Thinker. It is now revealed that the Thinker is only a robot, containing the consciousness of the real Mad Thinker who still languishes away in prison. The Wizard manages to flee the scene before the Dragon Man can lay another hand on him. Back at the wedding reception, everything goes on without incident. The guests notice that a large wedding gift has arrived from Latveria. After scanning it with security devices, they open it up to find that it is filled with fresh cut flowers and a note from Doctor Doom pledging, "...a truce between us for as long as these flowers bloom..." As soon as they place the crate down, the flowers begin to wilt away. Appearances * Fantastic Four :* Mister Fantastic :* Invisible Woman :* Human Torch :* She-Hulk :* The Thing * Alicia Masters * Doctor Doom * Dragon Man * Franklin Richards * Robbie Robertson * Wyatt Wingfoot * Mad Thinker * Puppet Master * The Wizard * Police officer Sheldon * Bachman * Brian, Johnny's friend * Gurdon Brewster * The Wyeths * Unnamed photographer * Frightful Four :* Medusa :* The Sandman :* The Trapster :* The Wizard * Yancy Street Gang * Inhumans * Skrulls * New York :* New York City :* Manhattan :* Daily Bugle :* Four Freedoms Plaza :* Yancy Street :* Long Island * Latveria :* Doomstadt * The Puppet Master's puppets * The Wizard's Typhoon Sphere * The Mad Thinker's roboids * None Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in the Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four trade paperback, the Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer: The Complete Collection CD-ROM collection and the 44 Years of Fantastic Four CD-ROM collection. * Part of Marvel's 25th anniversary event. * Despite the fact that this is the 300th issue, it is only a standard page length. * The Trapster, the Sandman and Medusa appear in a flashback to the first appearance of the Frightful Four, which was in ''Fantastic Four'' #36. * The real Alicia Masters does not appear in this issue. The Alicia that marries Johnny Storm is actually a spy for the Skrull empire named Lyja. The revelation of Alicia's true identity will not be made known for quite some time. * This issue includes a flashback to the first appearance of the Wizard from ''Strange Tales'' #102. * Police officers from the New York City Police Department appear in flashback to events from ''Strange Tales'' #102 only. Recommended Reading See also External Links * Fantastic Four #300 at MDP * * Category:Fantastic Four Vol 1 Category:1987/Comic issues Category:March, 1987/Comic issues Category:Comic issues with plot summaries